Time-stamp



J. LEVY.

TIME STAMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25, 1920.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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J. LEVY.

TIME STAMP.

APPLICATION man MAR. 25, 1920.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

jive 71x60 7 4 //OM atlj UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

JOSEPH LEVY, or. nosToN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASS-xenon To Bos on' TIME STAMPCOMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or MASSACHUSETTS.

IME-STAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 001]. 18, 1921.

Application filed March 25, 1920. Serial No. 368,781.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, JOSEPH LEVY, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Boston, in the County of Sufiolk and. State ofMassachusetts, have invented an improvement in Time-Stamps, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like letters on the drawings representin 'like parts. Ii

My present inventionrelates to stamping apparatus, and more particularlyto automatic time stampingapparatusfor printing the date and time ofreceipt ofletters, pa--' P rs and the like.

In automatic time stamping apparatus of the kind referred to, adate'an'd time stamp is located in a standard and thetiming'element isconnected to a clock or clock move-' ment, which may, or may not, belocated within the standard. A stamp pad, at tached to an arm pivoted onthe base, is movable with respect to the date and time stamp to performthe printing of the date and time indicated on the stamp. In building upthe apparatus, it is usual to as semble the elements of the ,date andtime mechanism in the standard; This method of assembling necessitatesexceedingly careful machine work, and the selling price of Such anapparatus has been so low that the apparatus cannot be marketed at aprofit. Consequently,'the manufacturer-has had to choose between goingout of business or marketing an apparatus that is so high in price thatthe sale is limited.

To obviate these objections, I have devised an improved date and timestamp apparatus in which the date and time elements may be inserted inthe standard as a unit and which is automatically alined with the stamppad.

Again, the usual time Stamping apparatus is set by some person inauthority, and is not supposed to be tampered with by any person usingthe apparatus. Asa matter of fact, it is well recognized that a clerk,or other person who is negligent or forgetful, will fail to stamp, forexample, all the mail received on a certain day, and the next day or onsome later day, will stamp the remainder of the mail, after firstaltering the indications either as to the time or date. To prevent thisprocedure, I have devised an improved locking means for securely lockShaft remote ing the inclosing cover, for the date and timing means, tothe standard of the apparatus.

An objectof my invention therefore, is an improved date and time stampapparatus in which the date and timing elements are inserted in thestandard of the apparatus as a unit and in alinement with the stamp pad;

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved lockingmeans for preventing access to the date and time stamp elements byunauthorized persons.

In the accompanying drawings illustratthe preferred embodiment of myinvention,

Figure 1 is a plan view, I

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing the improved locking means, r

, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the date and time indicating elements,assembled as a unit,

Fig' 4 is a sectional side elevation of the time stampin apparatus,showing the date and time indicating elements in position, and I Fig. 5is a sectional Side elevation on the line 55 of Fig. 3. I

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the base having a hollowstandard 11 at one side thereof. This hollow standard 11 is cut away atits front end, as Shown, and is provided with a cross-bar 12, castintegral therewith. Screwed through the cross-bar 12 is a bolt 13,slotted at its lower end at 14:, and with its upper end engaging with astud 26 which extends through a perforation in the plate 15 of the dateand time indicating means. On the top of the stud 26 is riveted a frame16 carrying the date wheels 17, 17 17 and it will be obvious that byproperly rotating the bolt 13 with a screw driver, the date wheels 17,17 17, may be raised or lowered. A set screw 25 in the plate 15, acts tohold the stud 26, and therefore the date wheels 17, 17, 17, in adjustedposition. Mounted for rotary movement in the plate 15, and parallel tothe bolt 13, is a shaft 18 provided with a bevel gear 19 on its lowerend, which gear meshes with a bevel gear 20 located intermediate theends of a shaft 21, which extends through the side of the standard 11and is connected to the driving shaft 22 of a clock 23, of the ordinarycommercial type. The end of the from the clock 23 extends through theother side of the standard 11 and is provided with a knurled thumb nutplates 27 27 these side plates being bent at right angles at the top toform resting places 28, 28, for the top plate 29. Dowel holes 30 aredrilled through the top plate 29 and side plates 27 27 and in alinementwith holes 31 in the top of the standard 11, as shown in Fig. 5. Dowelpins 32 are driven into holes 31 in the top of the standard and engagein the holes in the side and top plates 29 and 27 27 respectively, topositively position the sub-unit. The time indicating mechanism 33 isdriven fromthe shaft 18 through appropriate gearing, shown but notdescribed. Screw holes in the top plate 29 are in alinement withthreaded holes in the standard 11 for the insertion of screws 34 thatcooperate with the dowel pins 30 to hold the sub-unit rigidly inposition in such standard.

Pivotally mounted at 34 on the standard 11 is a cover 35 carrying theinking ribbon 36, the cover being cut away on its top surface to providean opening through which the date and time indicating mechanism mayproject, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, the ribbon 36 passing over the dateand time indicating mechanism. Also pivotally mounted at 34 is a pivotedstamp pad arm 37 carrying the stamp pad 38 at its outer or free end inposition to move into and out of engagement with the date and timeindicating mechanism. A spring 39 returns the arms 37 to the normalposition after each operation.

Firmly attached to the side of the cover 35, by riveting or in any othersuitable manner, is one end of a hinge 40, the other'end of which isprovided with a slot 41 through which a staple 42, attached to the sideof the standard 11, may project, a padlock 43 termediate the ends of thehinge is an extension 44 which when the hinge 40 is in locked position,covers the knurled thumb nut 24 and prevents the same from beingrotated.

F rom-the above description, it is obvious that the date and timeindicating mechanism, being assembled as a sub-unit in the framecomprised of the plates 15, 27 and 29 and with the dowel holes 30 and 31drilled in the plates 29 and 27, and in the standard 11, that theapparatus may be assembled cheaply and by comparatively inexperiencedhelp. The work, being practically all machine work, mav be economicallyperformed, and I am thus enabled to produce a high grade apparatus ofthis character that may be sold at a reasonable price.

While I have described the preferred embodiment of my invention indetail, it is to be understood that I may vary the size, shape, andarrangement of parts within wide limits without departing from thespirit of the invention.

7 Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of a base andstandard, a timing mechanism located on the base and in operativerelation to the standard, a date and time indicating unit, cooperatingmeans on said unit and standard for positioning the said unit in thestandard and in operative relation to the timing mechanism, a cover onsaid standard inclosing said date and time indicating unit, means foradjusting the timing mechanism, and means cooperating with the standardand cover for locking said adjusting means against movement.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

' JOSEPH LEVY.

